Nightfall
by Le-chan1
Summary: He promised her he would not out live her, but it seemed he now had no choice. Or did he? LRxC NOT A SUICIDE FICDark. ONESHOT


**A.N. This was a random idea that simply will not read my mind. This is based off of the anime, so there may be light spoilers but not many unless you are looking for them. It was slightly inspired by Zoey's Fanfic, _The Possessed._ But I must admit it's nothing like it. Read her work, its good. - **

**Disclaimer: Aion was eaten by my hamsters, Chrno and Rosette have escaped to Maui, and Remington has a restraining order on me. Sorry, I don't own them… but I will…. Very soon….. Cackles evilly from within the padded room.**

**WARNING: This is a Little RosettexChrno fic, so if that makes you queazy, please leave. It is also AU and very weird, if you don't like those this is your chance to run away screaming. Thank you.**

**_Nightfall _**

New York, 1929

'_It will only be a matter of time.'_ He'd said, in the darkest shadows of the night, where the moon had even forgotten how to pierce the fearful evil and give those left behind hope. That had been long forsaken to the blackest hours of the day, forgotten in the deep blood that had stained the courtyard and smeared his rounded, youthful cheeks like the sweet nectar of a ripened apple. '_Waiting will be hard but if you love her, it will be worth it.'_

'_How can I be sure that you will help me? How can I be sure it won't fail? It could take centuries.' _His voice had been laced with bitter contempt then, and he swore he could taste it on his tongue, like the soured flavor of bile. The silence had been mocking then, as the shadows of heavenly statues gazed down upon the conspirators, both turned cold by the world around them; from the battle they'd most assuredly lost, even as the remnants of celebration had only moments before hung in the air.

Humanity had survived.

Hope had not.

'_I will be here to help, for her sake, and the future she was denied, I will be sure to reunite you two in her second coming.'_ His words had held a sense of finality to them, and the distraught pain that lined his face proved more than his words ever could have, the truth he spoke to the demon before him, horns newly reattached and working to supply him with the astral he no longer wanted.

'_I promised her I would not live passed her.'_ It was a whispered pain, and the fallen angel nodded his head slowly in understanding.

'…_and you wont, Chrno.'_

From the windows of the monastery that night, a pare of blue eyes watched sadly, half mad now that memories had returned to strangle the sanity from him. He was the one chosen by god to protect her, and he had failed. They all had failed, and now god would have to implement his plan again; he only hoped he would not be apart of it in the next coming.

From the sadness that tinged the glass a muted gray, he watched the two converse beneath the fall of death. Their plan clear even from the height and the blackness that attempted to hide everything, and it made the blue-eyed boy sad.

Everything…

Everything he'd ever loved, and hoped for was disappearing before his eyes like the mist that used to rise from the grass around the orphanage in the early mornings as the other children rushed to start the chores that needed doing. He wondered then if this was how she had felt all those years ago as she stood looking out across the order grounds, hand shaking, knowing that she was weak, and that to save him she had to stay here and grow stronger.

She probably did.

He knew she did.

But… she'd had Chrno at least.

Somehow, Joshua knew he wouldn't get that comfort. He chose to accept the power he knew was wrong, so know, he had to move forward alone. After all, his sister was already dead, she'd gone on alone to the astral lines, and he had to hurry and catch up, but first he had to become stronger. Those words somehow sickened him now.

The two figures, once enemies, now conspirators, moved closer, the one that used to be small jerked back: stunned. Then, he was agreeing and the two were met by a third, this one elderly and aged, and the three laid their plans out, returning to the building where the eccentric scientist lived and worked.

His breath fogged up the glass as he watched them leave and smiled in sad remembrance of what had once been. It was those memories that called to him—urging him to return to them, to leave the real world behind and sink into the happier times that promised no pain—which kept him in the hospital wing only half lucid.

"**_We're going to be great explorers. We'll go around the world and discover everything there is! We'll even go to the astral lines, and then we'll all write it down in a book!"_**

"…"

"**_You'll come with us, won't you Chrno?"_**

"—**_?!"_**

"'**_Yeah, having a demon companion could be handy!"_**

**_A Soft smile on tired features, holding such hope, "Sure."_**

The day was gray and grisly. Rain drizzled at a steady pace yet seemed too melancholy to put any effort into his fall. Mud coated the boots of the Order as they stood outside the large tomb where one of their own was to be laid to rest. It seemed so cold to her, so unlike what the fiery exorcist would have wanted for herself, but she was no longer there to protest. The pale girl quivered, her fingers pressed to her mouth to muffle the sobs that threatened to break loose. More tears escaped from her cinnamon eyes like crystallized pain melting. It had not been fair; nothing in Rosette's life had been fair.

Not even her death.

Dying by Chrno's contract would have been a better alternative really. In fact she was certain Rosette would have wanted it to be that way. Not the bloody mess that was left behind as the powers of god and the evils of Aion ripped apart her mind until she finally collapsed with the final wound to her belly, eyes clear for the first time in months, attaching those horns to Chrno's head with her last breath. Joshua had finally woken up after that, his memories returning only after his sister's death. No, this was not a certifiable death for Rosette Christopher.

Eyes burning, and ears numbed to the voices that spoke of Rosette's life, as though they had understood her best, she looked across the sea of people to see Chrno. His full demon form intimidating in the dark setting, but heartbreaking as the rain ran from his still form, his face a blank mask of depression. His horns gleaming by his face; the only hope anyone had that he was not destroyed: suicidal.

"Amen." The voices seemed dead to her, and the cold pain just wouldn't lift from the young apostle's heart. No, it wasn't right, Rosette and Chrno… they couldn't end this way! The small girl choked on her voice wishing for those powers that had once caused her such grief, if only to save her friends from the sad replaying of destiny as the Sinner Chrno followed the casket into the stone outcropping. He was closing up again, staying by the one he loved until the end of time.

She wondered hysterically if he planned to remove his horns once sealed there. Now that Aion was dead, dead beyond the meaning of dead, he had no reason to keep them, or to continue living. One small hand reached out to stop him from going, but her voice held stuck in her throat.

Rosette and Chrno had loved one another, it wasn't supposed to end this way! It couldn't end this way! It wouldn't end this way! With a stern look she bolted forward to stop her friend from giving up, and was nearly dragged to her backside as a firm grip held her in place.

"W—wha… Elder… why?" Her voice broke sadly as she stared into the goggled eyes of the old man who merely shook his head. Her tears fell more harshly as the hollow echo of the holy doors sealing shut, ended all her hopes of freeing Chrno from his self-induced hell. "Why? _Why!_" Her fingers curled into his wet lab coat with enough strength to bruise her fingertips.

"It will all be fine, Azmaria. Calm yourself child, he will be back. Just wait, they will both be back." His words stopped her crying and chilled her to the bone. With fearful eyes she looked back to the stone building hidden in the woods of Michigan. Something close to hope, but much more frightening filled her heart and the small apostle who'd lost her wings for good couldn't help but wonder if this was what the Sinners had felt when they thought up their plan to escape from hell.

She turned away quickly.

When the rumors started years later, she couldn't help the smile that rose to her lips, even as she hid away in the chapel praying.

_The Sinner was back._

New York, 1937

The dark mark of a shadow moved across the moonless sky, landing without sound to traipse across the grounds of the failing church with a skill that rivaled the night. The old building was growing shabbier as the years filtered away. The Magdalene Order was falling; it wouldn't be long before it was completely obliterated. Nothing but a whispered legend spoken of between mass and in small circles of occult groups, from people who still remembered or had heard of the chaos the twenties had been.

The door opened on old hinges and the visitor squinted in the soft firelight that came from within. Starlight was nearly too bright for him now, and he wondered how much longer it would be. Would he need to reacquaint himself with the light as he had all those years ago when two wandering children found him?

The blond inside regarded him sadly, dressed in his usual robes, and it made the new comer wonder if it made the blond uncomfortable to play the part of one loyal to god when he no longer put faith in him.

"Chrno."

"Remington." The greeting was as routine as always, and Chrno felt his heart sink. Not yet, still not yet. Even as he knew the answer he'd come for, he allowed the Elder to explain what he had discovered about the astral lines from the data he'd brought back from Aion's hideout. The old man wouldn't live much longer and soon it would be just himself and Remington working on this project, whatever he could learn and understand from the Elder would be useful. Chrno sighed, it seemed he was always watching his friends and loved ones die as he continued on, forever.

But if this worked…

If they could track the astral…

A certain astral…

If they could change the clock…

"… Just a little longer, my boy. Just a little more time."

Chrno felt like laughing, but not out of joy or humor, far from it.

He nodded and turned; leaving out the door when it was obvious there was nothing more to be discussed. Next month perhaps there would be better news. Perhaps…

A pale figure stood in the breezeway, dressed in white and snuggled in a blanket. Chrno paused to watch the gowned woman for a moment, feeling a longing loss for the friendship that had once been there, but bringing her into this when she could do nothing to help would be cruel. With the barest nod he took to the sky, once again a shooting star against the blackness.

The militia first class stared silently after the departing figure, the cold hope still burning like a frozen ember. "Chrno…" Azmaria quickly returned inside. The rumors were true, that was all the twenty-year-old and wanted to know.

Chicago, 2007

The teenager cried out in agony as the painkillers wore off, allowing her to feel the contractions ripple across her swollen belly. She choked on her vomit as she turned, wishing it would all end and cursing herself for not using a condom, but that was an old thought. The yelling from the floors below, as people screwed and doped up on more drugs, echoed up to her ears and covered her agonized cries as blood pored from her. What had she done to deserve this? She wondered, biting her lip as another burst of pain blinded her momentarily. What were the chances really, that a one-night stand would come to this? The blond had seemed nice enough, dressed in a fine suit, his blue eyes as kind as an angel's as he'd offered to buy her a drink as she sat alone at her sister's reception. The drink had been strong, and she knew that if her mother knew or found out that she'd drunk anything with alcohol in it she was in trouble, but he'd just seemed so nice… so kind… so…

Another contraction.

"God, damn it!" Tears ran uncheck down her face. If she'd never met him she would have been fine. Her mother wouldn't have kicked her out, and her drug addict brother wouldn't be her only means of help, and she'd be in a hospital now instead of here, thousands of miles from home, in a crack houe, giving birth. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please, dear… god!" Her breath showed white in the cold December air that drafted in through the open window, boarded up by pieces of wood and cardboard. She looked balefully out the cracks at the full moon. "God save me…"

Michigan, 2007

'**We have it now." His words were muted, "Now we just need a host. Its almost over Chrno, this time, we'll bring her back." The words quivered a bit as blue eyes looked down upon him with such hope it nearly tore the demon in half. "And with that," Remington pointed to the dulled clock that rested around his neck, the one Elder had fixed nearly seven decades before, "We'll keep her here."**

Something called him from his dreams, and Chrno opened bleary eyes to the blackness of his prison. What had awoken him? He searched the area for the tell tale holy aura that the ex-minister gave off, but there was nothing. Just the usual wild life that moved within the preserve that had become his home. Confused, Chrno shifted into a more comfortable position against the wooden coffin where the body of his contractor rested in eternal slumber. How long had he been asleep for? Months, years, decades? He couldn't tell anymore, if it wasn't for Remington's six month updates, Chrno would have been lost. Regardless, Remington had not been the one to awaken him, so something else was out there. Something important.

Her cries where drowned out by the partying below, her retching and pounding feet thought of as nothing, as her legs trembled with the effort it took not to pass out. She couldn't handle much more of this. Her tears continued to drown her as her body attempted to push the little life from her body; attempted to complete the task it was meant to.

It twanged through his senses, a tangible feeling that made his heart race and his body tremble. What was this? Blinking pale golden eyes in the darkness, Chrno stood, his legs shaky and unused to the activity. Several muscles attempted to spasm on him, and he fell to his knees with a groan, but his mind was far from the pain that licked his senses. Something was calling to him, something that his soul desperately wanted to respond to. It couldn't be… The thought was painful, and the demon clutched at his chest, fingers curling around the pocket watch that had been such an eyesore so long before, and when the metal remained cold, he felt his heart sink, his sudden hope dwindling into nothingness.

It wasn't—it couldn't be—he was getting too worked up.

With a final cry she shoved her self up, and felt as though she was ripped in half. Her scream tore her throat open and she tasted blood in her mouth. Was this the end? A weight slipped from her body to the floor and lay still, body steaming with heat in the cold air.

The pulse of heat burned his hand, and Chrno jumped, gasping in shock as the clock crackled fiercely against his chest. Looking down in wonder, Chrno was unable to move for several minutes. It was working. That was all he could think of, and for a delirious moment Chrno grinned, jumping to his feet and screaming at the top of his lungs. The people nearby would be telling ghost stories for at least a few years. His voice echoed back to him as he sprang from his place deep in the underbelly of the tomb and broke his way out of the holy sealed door.

The moon was bright and made his eyes water, but the demon didn't care as he shot to the sky doing crazy acrobatics through the icy air, his hand clutching the small device hard enough to crush it. She was alive! She was back! She was…

Chrno slowed finally realizing what the crackling of the seal meant and looked down almost fearfully. "No…" His voice croaked from disuse and he flinched, bringing his hands to the clasp.

She was trying to break the seal.

She was dying.

She wasn't sure how long she'd laid there, breathing and simply trying to regain control of her firing nerves, but when she came around she realized that the only noise she could hear came from below her head. Feeling nauseous once more, the teenager curled her head to look down by her feet where the small body of her child lay motionless.

Was it dead? Some motherly instinct moved her to tears and forced her weakened body to work as she moved to lift the baby into her arms. The blood soaked infant had blue lips, its limbs as limp as rubber bands, and the mother swallowed back her stomach contents in favor of a choked sob. She hadn't wanted this child, it was the reason for her nightmarish life, but now that it was dead she couldn't help but feel cheated. "No… No… don't do this… don't do this too me!!!" Idly she realized her baby was a girl, and stroked her fingers up and down her baby's soft, still, little cheek. "My... baby girl…"

No, I can't loose her now! Not Now! His mind screamed as panic tore his heart to bloody pieces.

With a jerk of his wrist, Chrno snapped the seal open, and was suddenly struck with a dizzying sensation. He crumpled to the ground spinning erratically as his astral was forcefully sucked from his body, and his horns struggled to replenish it. The fall through the trees hurt lightly, and the wind was knocked from him as soon as his back collided with the ground, and thankfully muffled the scream that tried to break from him. Was this what she'd felt that time in California? Was this what it had been like all those years every time that blasted seal was broken? Tears eased from his clenched eyes, and Chrno pulled himself into a tight ball, dry heaving into the grass, cool, crisp, and frost covered under his face.

The girl bent close, her tears washing her baby's face as her lips tenderly kissed its forehead. What was she going to do now? She couldn't bury her. She couldn't go to the police; her mother would never help her. "I… need to name you…" She whimpered into the child's blood soaked locks and cried a little harder when nothing came to mind. Was she so pathetic she couldn't even think of a name?

"**The baby's name. Her name is…" **

Her tears stalling, she blinked eyes red from crying remembering the heated words whispered into her drugged ear as she's made love with the blond stranger from the reception. Somehow, he'd known.

Cracked lips shook, as a tired voice whispered a solitary name into the frozen air. "Rosette…."

The baby wailed from her arms, limp arms suddenly stiffening and curling towards its chest as the chill air shocked the infant's system. She blinked rapidly, mouth moving awkwardly in shock, as the baby seemed to revive, its shrieks coloring the night with white clouds of breath. A relieved sob choked its way out, as the teen coddled her baby close to her chest, rocking back and forth.

"Thank you god, thank you god, thank you god!"

Gold eyes snapped open, his horns picking up the distraught thoughts of a new mind and he laughed through the pain of his astral being leeched. The pain was lessening to a slight discomfort now as that mind worked faster, complaining about the cold, being hungry, and who the hell had to bring her here? He lay there, immobile allowing the brilliant mind to wash over his thoughts, and unconsciously he reached out to brush that frail mind with his own, and felt her still. Her mind questioned his a moment before the blessed warmth of recognition filtered back, and Chrno laughed aloud again through his tears as the child relaxed with his coddling.

Somewhere out there in the new world he'd lost touch with years before, his heart had been returned to him. His little girl was back in the world; Remington had kept his word.

"She's back." The voice shocked him from his light sleep, and with a jolt, Yuan Remington sat up in his bed. The mansion was silent around him, the only building within a ten-mile radius of the National Wildlife Reserve. It had taken a lot of money and bribing to secure this small piece of sanctuary, keeping it from the changing world for his friend also trapped by the bonds of eternity.

The golden eyes gleamed at him from across the room from the open balcony, wind—much too cold for his liking—billowing the curtain up and around the impressive figure there, and had he not known the being, he would have been terrified. Blue eyes flickered to the open clock face where the hands seemed to run backward, the face lit by a dim green glow.

The excitement was well hidden under his mask of calm indifference. So, it had worked, that young girl had been compatible after all. Now if only he'd been able to track her movements. She'd dropped off the face of the earth months ago, he'd assumed she'd miscarried. That was a mistake on his part, but with Chrno's help, retrieving their special gift would be an easy task.

He sat up more fully to meet the demon's gaze and smiled slowly, "I told you so."

Chicago, 2008

The infant stared into the corner of the room with a little curious look upon her rounded cheeks. She burbled a bit every now and then to keep her mother from worrying. It seemed to her that Mother was always nervous if she wasn't making some sort of sound from time to time. If Mother was worried then she'd come over and pick her up again, and that would scare the shadow in the corner.

She liked the shadow, it was around more then her mother was, and it spoke to her in words she could understand. He was special, she knew him and not just by familiarity as she did with Mother and the Funny One. No, the shadow was something different, and it knew it.

It made a suggestion in her head and she giggled kicking her legs out behind her wishing it would come over to her instead of insisting she come to it. She found it terribly unfair. First he asks where she is, but her response of 'Here', doesn't help, so when she specifies the ground, he gets even more upset. Now he insists that he haul her heavy butt all the way over there to play a game.

Screw that.

She made a gurgled sound and spit up a little in the shadow's direction, letting him know exactly what she thought of that idea, and received a happy feeling inside of her mind. With a toothless grin herself she attempted to roll onto her back. Once when she'd done this on the couch, the shadow had rushed out and caught her, and she'd gotten an odd rush of energy and didn't sleep till dark, but it seemed rolling over didn't faze him this time.

She decided she was done playing with the shadow and yawned, blinking sleepily up at the ceiling as the warm sunlight coaxed her to sleep, her shadow watching from his corner. She fell asleep easily, unconcerned with her surroundings, after all she was never alone, she knew that well.

Chicago, 2013

The flames rose high, burning the flesh on his face and the blond cringed as he rushed through the floors desperately searching for the tiny child with the purple rabbit and stigmata birthmarks. If this fire hadn't have broken out he could have easily taken her away the next day when she was dropped off to play at the park. There would have been no loss of life needed, but it seemed something had angered Chrno enough to cause this catastrophe, and if he wasn't quick it could mean the end for their little endeavor.

The fallen angel cursed under his breath, the sirens still blaring in his ears from below. It had taken so long to even find the girl. Only getting lucky when he recognized a landmark Chrno had mentioned. He'd been prepared to trick that woman into sleeping with him, to inject her with the DNA and the astral enhancers the Elder had discovered in his last days. Hell, he'd even been prepared to kill to obtain that little child that he'd help recreate, but he was not prepared for this.

"Damn it Chrno, next time think before you strike out! The Uncle wouldn't have made it to her if you'd just kicked him a few times… you didn't have to blow the damn kitchen up!" Remington hissed as he threw open the last door, where the fire had originated and peered in at the burnt bodies.

The child was nowhere to be found.

California, 2016

The shadows looped up in frightening designs, converging onto her as if to eat her alive. She cried and pulled her stuffed toy closer to her chest trying not to make too much noise. If she woke anyone she'd be spanked again, and still no one would stop the monsters from her closet and beneath the bed from feasting on her body. She hiccupped and rubbed her nose into the fur of her bunny rabbit. Its right eye had fallen off years ago in the fire that had taken her parents away from her. That had forced her here to the old smelly home of her grandmother's house. She didn't want to be there, she had been quite happy in the orphanage. The Magdalene Church had been a warm friendly place, and she'd felt oddly at home in the musky walls. The dark had never frightened her then, after all her friend had always been there.

Chrno wasn't like other children. For one thing, no one had ever seen him. He was always a comforting thought in her mind, a gentle breeze on her face or through her golden hair, and sometimes a muted voice in her head. Once she thought she'd seen him in the shadows the time she'd almost gotten beaten up by one of the boys, but since her Grandmother had come to take her away, she'd lost contact with her little friend and felt more lost than she ever had at the loss of her mother and uncle.

A few muffled sobs broke free from her and she bit her lip to keep from making anymore. She listened for the sounds of angry footfalls but none came, and she finally relaxed. She hated it here, being unable to voice her opinion, or even act herself.

"**_The child of a whore is what you are! Sinful little brat!"_** Her grandmother's words had been the catalyst in her rebellion and she'd promptly kicked the old bat in the shin. That had earned her a good beating and no food till the next morning. Slowly she was learning to grit her teeth, and just not speak. _Ever._

"Chrno… where are you?" She whispered to the shadows, hoping at least one might be him. "You promised. You said you'd take me away from here… so… where are you?"

Silence was her only answer, and like so many other nights, she hung her head and cried into the worn out rabbit. It had been a gift from a young man when her mother had left her in the park so she could go to work. The tall blond man had paused and looked at her in surprise, before asking her what her name was.

Of course she hadn't been stupid, and had thrown sand in his face. She knew better than to talk to strangers, but Chrno told her he was a nice person after he'd finished laughing. The man had left her the bunny, telling her that if she ever needed help that she only need hug "Joshua", and all would be fine.

The blond was obviously nuts, but she had kept Joshua all the same. No matter how hard she squeezed though, no miracle happened. Grown ups, what a load of crap they were.

"… Chrno…" Sniffling, she looked back at her pillow and pouted again. Even if she wanted to sleep she couldn't. All that awaited her there was nightmares. Bloody, sad, nightmares that made her feel incomplete. Most times she'd always been able to call out to Chrno, and he'd sooth her dreams with happy memories, of a carnival and a wooded place with a cave filled with mystery and a small demon who told her stories about 'heaven'.

She'd never been without him before.

The shadows rolled erratically then, and Rosette jerked her head up, her heart pounding in her chest, and she gripped Joshua closer still to her chest. The room remained quiet as the shadows stilled once more, but a cold draft worked its way through the room cutting off her scream before it had a chance to be born.

The noise started then. A soft scrap upon the closet door, followed by the squeal of rusty hinges as it swung open. She quaked visibly on her bed, tiny fingernails biting into the skin of her arms as she attempted to make herself as tiny as possible. The door continued to open until the deep penetrating blackness was all that she could see, and then from the depth of the blackness came a soft voice of a child.

"_There you are. I've been looking for you." _The voice held an echoing quality that was familiar by now, and the red eyes that peered up at her through the darkness were quite the same.

"Chrno!" She cried out, dropping Joshua to lean closer, eyes already wet again with joyful tears. The eyes turned soft as the darkness eased out of its hiding place, rippling the way darkness does until it was near enough to touch her and she smiled at him gratefully, scrubbing her face free of tears, before allowing herself to become angry. "Where were you, I've been worried sick you, idiot." She grumbled, not liking the weakness she felt, and her friend merely chuckled tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. His touch wasn't really solid, more like a breath of warm air. It made her shiver despite herself.

"_I'm sorry, little girl, I was lost for a while, but, I have found you again_." From the look in those red eyes she knew the added, 'and I'm not loosing you again,' was implied. It warmed her heart, and she nodded her head.

"Well, then, I'll forgive you… this time."

"_Thank you." _The feeling of being cuddled made her face flush. She should have been used to his cuddling by now, but somehow it made her feel funny. She ignored it, turning azure eyes to the crimson ones that wavered before her erratically.

"Chrno…" He blinked to show her that he was listening, even as he coaxed her to lie back on her bed and tucked the sheets up around her. "When are you coming to get me?" Her question made him pause, and she had the impression of sadness. She frowned. "You promised you'd take me away. So come on do it!" She sat up then, her golden pigtails slapping her back and cheeks as she slid from her bed. Hurriedly she shoved Joshua and her favorite coloring book into her bag and stepped into her shoes before facing the shadow that now watched her with sad eyes.

"I'm all ready, see?" She lifted her arms for him to inspect and felt him collapse within himself.

"_It's not so simple, little girl_."

"Why not?" She asked lip trembling in denial.

"_Because, I am not truly here. I can send you my soul, my mind, but I really don't know where you are_." His words hurt more than the thought of his abandonment and she fisted her hands at her side and glared at her toes, hidden under her pink light-up sneakers.

"You lied."

"_No, I did not. I can not physically rescue you, but I have sent a friend who can._"

The small child pondered this for sometime, until the warmth of arms once again surrounded her and lifted her to her bed. Gently it removed her shoes, tucking them away under her bed. He then retrieved Joshua and returned the bunny to her arms. He kissed her forehead and stayed by her side, looking down at her in a way only he could. "You wont leave me right Chrno? Even if I'm bad?"

"_I'll never leave you, my heart. Now, sleep. Tomorrow I start the rescue."_ She smiled hopefully and closed her eyes, yawning as sleep took her away on gentle wings, back to the sunny forests and the dark demon boy who was waiting patiently for her return.

"_Take your time, you have plenty, but please remember sometime. I'd miss you if you didn't." _The whispered prayer was only half heard as the demon used more of his energy to attempt contacting Remington. The man had to know that she'd been found once more. "_Southwest, Remington, she's in the southwest._"

There was a flicker of an answer and then all went quiet.

Thank god for angel wings.

California, 2020

"So Eve, ate the crummy apple, I really don't see what the big deal is!" the twelve-year-old fumed on her walk home from the Catholic School, her green plaid skirt swishing with her every step.

"It was the fruit of knowledge, not an apple." The red-head explained, rather annoyed with her. "Don't you listen to anything they teach there?"

"Of, course I listen, Anna!" She cried, pinning her cousin with a glare. "The fruit of knowledge has to be an apple."

"And why's that?" Anna challenged with a toss of her head, short hair swirling around her face like a flame. It reminded her of Chrno's eyes.

"Well, they say an apple a day keeps the doctor away."

"That's stupid—"

"AND," She continued raising her voice when her cousin tried to drown her out. She may be quiet at home, that didn't mean she'd lost her will to talk back. "Snow White ate a bright red poisoned apple, and it took the kiss of some silly boy to save her soul. So, the fruit that got Eve booted out of Eden, must have been an apple. Dark red and filled with blood."

"You are disturbed." Anna said, shaking her head before rushing ahead. "I'm going to hang out with my friends, don't follow me!"

"Like I'd want to!" She cried after, not wanting Anna to know how deeply her words had actually hurt her. She felt the air cool a bit with concern and she smiled. "Hi, Chrno, I'm okay."

"_Hi, yourself. What's this I hear about Eve and Eden, and Apples?" _Chrno sounded amused, and she giggled, skipping a little now that better company had come to her.

"We were discussing why we women are sinful creatures by nature, and have to struggle harder to reach redemption, in class today." She said flippantly, tossing one of her long pigtails over her shoulder. She really wanted to cut her hair, maybe not as short as Anna's, but shorter than it was now; her grandmother would never allow such a thing.

"_I see. You don't believe them?" _Chrno sounded almost proud of her and she stood up straighter under his watch.

"Of course not, you don't become evil by eating a lousy apple, or learning something. I think god was just embarrassed when Eve showed him up in Scrabble and he decided to call her impure." After her statement, there was a long string of laughter that warmed her insides. "Besides, I love apples!"

"_Which kind?_" The tone was secretive and it gave her the chills, like she got when she thought of kisses and other physical things her grandmother and the church called wrong.

"The red ones." She replied in turn her voice gone deep and breathy. Chrno gave a pleasant hum, and the warm breeze skimmed up her arms like a caress, and she shivered, whimpering, and the voice in her head chuckled. "I don't understand Chrno." She said, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, her house not more than a block away. From where she stood she could see the ugly white fence that framed the pale blue house, with the eggshell edging.

"_Understand what, little girl?_"

"Why Grandmother calls you bad." She sighed, "You don't act evil, and I know you're real. You threw Jamie across the field after he pulled my hair and pushed me in the mud." There was an embarrassed nod to her speech and Chrno went silent. "Why haven't you come for me yet?"

"_My accomplice has a bad sense of direction, little girl. Patience. Wait for me. For us." _His voice implied something more than the simple freedom he had offered her so long ago, and she shivered again, nodding as she ran the rest of the way to the house.

Night had fallen like a blanket, and not even the stars lit up the dark room, which she had been trapped inside since returning home that day. She was being punished for not watching after Anna, and leaving her alone in pain. Seems the girl had fallen and sprained her ankle, hobbling back to blame it on the sinful grandchild. She sat on her bed, Joshua laid out on her lap, eyes puffy from her recent batch of tears. Cursing the world, she sat in the darkness no longer fearful of the shadows that clung to the walls. After all, Chrno was in the shadows, and he would never let her hurt.

"I hate them."

"_I know."_

"Can't you hurt them too?" She asked, spitefully, not really wanting her family hurt, but not truly caring for their safety either. There was soft apology as the caresses began again, running over her arms, up the side of her neck.

She knew this. It had begun shortly after she'd asked him what it meant to love someone as more than family. With a pleased gasp, she tilted her head to the side, giving Chrno more skin to touch. The appreciative growl made her spine tingle as the warmth increased to a heat that pressed against her through crimson eyes and shadowed touches.

Closing her eyes, she allowed her mind to make sense of the feelings her eyes could not follow. Fingers ticked the inside of her thigh, smoothing over her knee and into the softer part of her inner leg. Tiny legs parted further to allow a deeper touch. Breath passed over her shoulder and ear, a tongue tasting the skin it found, leaving it pleasantly chilled. Long claws skimmed over and under her skirt, dangerous but kind against her breakable skin. Sharp teeth scraped the side of her throat as a hand cupped the other side of her neck, tilting her head to a more desirable angle. Cool lips indulged upon her skin, moving up and over cheekbones, breath igniting the fires her young body did not yet understand. She arched into the heat, moaning his name between her teeth, wishing not for the first time that she could touch him as well.

Her hands clenched and released the blanket spasmodically as her toes curled with each breath, lick, nip, and longing caress. Her name was a rasping guttural sound filled with need and desire. Again she arched closer, bending back to lay on her bed, knees spread wide from her feet tucked under her bottom, and felt his presence follow her; hands gliding over her thighs to grab her tender hips in a hard grip, claws scraping her skin in a pleasant tingling feeling.

"Chrno…" She whispered is name like a prayer of salvation as the press of a body molded to her own holding her trapped to the bed sheets and his form. Lips found hers and kissed her gently, but commanded her movement. That swift tongue tucking beneath her lower lip pulling it between his own, suction making her skin sensitive to the sharp canines that scraped her. Designs traced to the inside of her mouth, tore a gasp from her, and in a moment that warm muscle had invaded her mouth, coaxing her tongue to dance with his own. He tasted like heated apples, spiced and sinful; thick like the blood she felt pulse inside of her body as he played her with skilled hands.

Her stomach burned low like coals of the fire prodded back into flame, all she needed was fresh firewood to keep her alive. Chrno was that firewood.

His breathy grunt filled her ears as his body rolled against her own, one leg between hers. She lifted a leg to feel him; though she knew in reality she passed right through his ghostly figure. She was disheartened to know this, but the feel of his groan at her attempt to please him made up for the moment of failure. His kisses turned desperate, his touches needy, as his knee pressed against her parted legs, hips angling down momentarily before shifting for her, so that her knee was where it should be and not through him. If her grandmother walked in now she would think that she was possessed by Satan himself; kissing the air as she was, hips rolling against nothingness in passionate sinful abandon, but she didn't care. Let her grandmother see, she was the daughter of a whore, so she would enjoy the passions of the flesh with the one she loved; for love was holy, but sex was not, and she wanted not to be black, nor white, but gray.

She smiled, and moved her lips against his own, reaching out to taste him further, and lost him all together as a loud crash knocked her from her bed tumbling her to her floor. Shocked out of her heated daze, she blinked wildly around her room. A steady tremor had begun and the mirror on her dresser trembled and rattled something fierce. Swallowing hard, she grabbed Joshua from her floor and pulled him close to her chest.

A porcelain angel figure toppled from the shelves and shattered upon her floor. A scream echoed in the house, but she wasn't sure if it was her own or not. "Chrno…" She felt tears sting her eyes, and the comforting voice was distant almost wispy like smoke.

"_Little girl… it is all right… so, calm your sweet heart." _

She tried to do as he asked as the noise rose up louder, things crashing, cries that echoed from downstairs. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest and she squeezed her eyes shut listening to her books fall, the rest of her statues breaking apart on her floor. She thought she heard someone outside her door, begging her to open up, to let the other in, but she wasn't certain as it soon vanished among the rest of the noise.

After an eternity it all stilled and the deafening silence took over. Slowly opening her eyes, she stood on shaky legs, staring at her door. A hazy light poured in from the cracks around the door, and almost seemed to call to her. With slow hesitant steps, the small girl approached the door. Her hand stalled, hovering above the doorknob shaking with insecurities. What lay beyond this door? Was she safe now, or was it simply waiting for her to venture out and past the safety that had protected her.

"_Go on, my heart…" _Chrno's whispered encouragement directed her hand to the cold steal, and she stilled her arm before she turned the handle and stepped out into the landing.

The air was stale, but moving from the broken wall that led out into the back yard. Pieces of the framework were torn and broken in mid air, the rest laying upon the floor.

**_The support beams from the building were frozen in the air, the pieces hovering harmlessly above the ground as if forgetting that gravity was to pull them to the ground. _**

She blinked, her head feeling heavy, mind confused and she scratched at her wrist where her cross-shaped birthmarks were upon each foot and wrist. The stairs where stained a dark color, in the night it was almost impossible to tell, but it was wet and sticky under her feet. She curled her toes and swallowed, following the weird dark streaks and splatters to the motionless bodies upon the floor. They were coated in the dark substance, hidden by it and debris. Some part of her mind recoiled in terror, knowing what was going on and retching at the fear of it all, but the other part of her remained indifferent. They hadn't been kind to her, had not loved her. She was not required to love them, nor morn their passing, and she was not required to feel guilt because she had not been the one to end their time.

**_The children were motionless, eyes and expressions terrified, as they, like the framework remained trapped in a moment, alive but not living. The baby cried unceasingly in Sarah's arms, the girl unable to stop the chaos that surrounded them. The Chaos that sprung from one boy: one boy soaked in blood, with jagged horns at his temples._**

There was a soft creak in the floorboards, and it drew her eyes to the center of the massacre, where an Angel stood, wings splattered with the dark substance that dripped from his golden hair and tricked down his cheeks like tears; an avenging angel crying tears of blood.

**_Standing there in the mess that had once been her life, the pocket watch clasped tightly in her hand, her other folded around the warm palm of her childhood friend and demon, she cried. The sound of a car shattered her desolate thoughts, and Rosette Christopher turned dull eyes to the headlights of the Jalopy. The car door opened and out stepped a man dressed in blue, his golden hair neat and gleaming in the artificial light._**

_**She hated this man, yet in this moment knew of no one else to turn to.**_

**_Squeezing her partner's hand she faced the man and opened her mouth…_**

"I'm all that's left, are you going to take me now, Remington?" The words flowed from her lips as she held the purple rabbit this man had given her all those years ago, and stared into his blue eyes unafraid. He look mildly shocked, but quickly over came her words to hold out a hand, caked in her family's blood.

**_The man looked sad at her question and he averted his eyes. Her demon tensed beside her, ready to protect her if this man dared to hurt her again. Rosette held tighter still, trembling as the minister looked up once more hand outstretch toward them both. "Come Rosette, lets see if we can't fix this."_**

She blinked lazily, no words were stated, none needed to be said. He was the one sent to bring her back to Chrno.

Her Grandmother had refused him entry.

He had used force.

That was all that she needed to know. Lifting her own tiny hand she grasped a hold of his own, and was lifted into warm arms as the fallen angel flew her up and into the sky, cradling her like a glass doll, afraid that she might break away into nothingness if he looked away from her for even a moment. Her school uniform rustled gently in the wind as she held her rabbit close to her face.

"Are you my daddy?"

"Do you want me to be?"

"…Yes."

The angel smiled as he flew, the blood drying and flaking off in the wind that was turning cold as they tore higher into the sky. "Then I am."

She closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

She woke in a room that smelled of pine. Opening blue eyes she glanced around her new room, not surprised to see that her bed was large, made of wood, as was the floors and walls. It felt warmer than her old room ever had. Sitting up she surveyed her surroundings aware that she was still in her school uniform, her socks the only thing removed. She slid from the cotton sheets and stood, walking around the room. From the window she could see a swing set, and a clothing line, beyond that, nothing but endless forest.

"I know this place." She whispered, smiling and tracing the trees across the glass. The soft knock alerted her to his presence, and she turned slowly to face the Angel from before. His wings were gone now, replaced by a casual shirt and clean jeans. He looked like any other man, but she knew better. He seemed uncertain and nervous as he held a tray of food that made her stomach gurgle wantonly. The sound made him grin as he set the tray aside.

"Good morning, I see you are hungry, I made you some breakfast, your favorite if I remember correctly." He seemed like a nice man, but he was scarred and wounded deeply, she could see it clearly in his eyes. She smiled brightly and moved toward the food, but reached for his hand instead, bringing his startled gaze to her own.

"I want to see him."

Blue eyes softened in understanding and he nodded, long fingers curling around her small hand. "Come then."

The walk was short, the forest seeming to fly by as she traipsed through the familiar path. She knew where this would lead: to the tomb beneath the meadow.

**_She waded through the water at the bottom of the underground tunnel, her hand grasping her brother's as she'd done on their journey through the woods. She was scared, but she'd never let Joshua know it. After all they were both going to become explorers, and explorers weren't afraid. Who knew, their biggest find might be at the end of this tunnel. This could lead straight to… _**

To Chrno.

She could barely keep her heart in place as they approached an old door. It was covered in moss, the words there smoothed over from the years and elements, but she felt somehow connected to this place. It was sad, scary, but familiar. She released Remington's hand and walked to the door first, pushing against the stone that gave way easily.

**_The bright shock of power ran up the doors at her brother's touch, and swung inward starting the chain reaction that lit the candles about the room. There was a stone casket, with the body of some dead person, and beside it a boy._**

The light from the morning drifted passed from behind her, casting a long shadow across a wooden coffin. Fresh flowers rested upon its top, tied with a yellow ribbon. The stonewalls were covered in dust, and there beside the coffin was a boy.

**_His clothes were old, in an odd style, and dark colored, with a cloak-like poncho over his shoulders. Violet hair rested matted and tangled around his frame, and a clock rested, dark against his chest. Looking up slowly, as though extremely tired, crimson eyes cut through the darkness, lit by the candles. They were hard and cold: angry, and Rosette took a step back as he spoke, in a voice gruff from disuse._**

"**_What are you doing here?"_**

His clothes were old, odd looking. Dulled red shorts over black pants, suspenders that looped up over a dress shirt, more gray than white with age, and over that a red jacket. A red band cover his forehead and rested just before a messy, loose braid, held together by an old, ripped yellow ribbon. Upon his chest was an old pocket watch, its face glowing a dull green that seemed to pulse with her heartbeat.

Slowly, his eyes lifted her own, as though he feared she was not really there, and warm embers gazed out at her, lit from within by a deep warmth she would have recognized in death, and her breath caught when he smiled, eyes shimmering with tears. She bit her lip returning the hesitant smile as he lifted his hand, in which rested a dark red apple, speaking to her in a voice choked by emotion.

"Hello again, my Rosette. Are you hungry? Here, have an apple."

_Where are you this moment? _

_Only in my dreams._

_You're missing, but you're always_

_A heart beat from me._

_I'm lost now with out you,_

_I don't know where you are._

_I keep watching, I keep hoping,_

_But time keeps us apart._

_Is there a way I can find you,_

_Is there a sign I should know,_

_Is there a road I could follow,_

_To bring you back home?_

_Winter lies before me_

_Now you're so far away._

_In the darkness of my dreaming_

_The light of you will stay._

_If I could be close beside you_

_If I could be where you are_

_I f I could reach out and touch you_

_And bring you back home_

_Is there a way I can find you_

_Is there a sign I should know_

_Is there a road I could follow_

_To bring you back home to me?_

"Hello Chrno… I home."

The End

A.N. The song is called, "If I Could be Where You Are" by Enya, I claim no ownership to it. I felt if fit this fic perfectly. Anyway, this is less dark than I'd originally hoped for it, but It'll do. Hope it was okay. I know it was quick and rather choppy, and perhaps a little confusing, but I like it this way, so, sorry. And sorry that Remington is so out of character in this one, I kinda had to destroy him to make this work. I mean if Rosette had died without need and without any happiness, Remington would still have turned on his god, perhaps more violently than he had in the end of the show, that's what I played upon. Any questions, please drop me a line. Thanks! -


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